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British caver sues Elon Musk over ‘pedo’ comments

This article is more than 12 months old

A British caver who helped in the dramatic rescue of 12 boys trapped in Thailand earlier this year sued Tesla founder Elon Musk on Monday for calling him a "pedo guy" and a "child rapist".

The defamation suit filed in Los Angeles by Mr Vernon Unsworth, a Briton involved in several cave rescues, follows a highly public spat between the two after Mr Musk travelled to Thailand and offered to assist in rescue efforts.

The dispute made headlines in July, when Mr Unsworth called Mr Musk's effort to build a mini-submarine for the rescue a "PR stunt" and Mr Musk responded on Twitter by calling Mr Unsworth a "pedo guy," or pedophile.

Mr Musk, a tech entrepreneur who also founded the private space firm SpaceX, apologised days later but not before his comments were widely condemned, raising concerns over his leadership abilities.

But he reignited the dispute last month with an e-mail to BuzzFeed News, accusing Mr Unsworth of being a "child rapist," marrying a 12-year-old and engaging in child sex trafficking, the lawsuit alleges.

Mr Musk made the series of false statements "with actual malice, that is, with actual knowledge of falsity or a reckless disregard for truth or falsity," according to the complaint.

Instead of apologising for his comments, Mr Musk responded with an expletive-laden statement saying, "I hope he... sues me," according to the lawsuit.

Mr Unsworth is seeking unspecified damages "for the worldwide damage he has suffered to his reputation," according to the lawsuit, which noted that a separate complaint was being readied in the High Court of London. - AFP

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